"Camp Fire." pixdaus.com. Web. 1 Jan.

Firewood Burning Efficiency

Broad Question

What type of firewood will burn the longest and leave the most ash behind?

Specific Question

Does oak firewood burn longer and leave more ash behind?

Variables

Independent Variable: Wood Type

Dependent Variable: Time (min) and Ash amount (g)

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

• The mass of wood being burned

• What species of wood is being burned

• How the wood will be burned

• Same container the wood is being burned in

Hypothesis

I hypothesize that oak will burn the longest, then beech, then maple. I think that beech will leave the most ash behind, then maple, then oak.

Graph of Hypothesis

camp‑fire1.jpg

---

---

---

---

Experimental Design

I plan to do my science experiment at home, where all of my materials are, and where I can do this project safely. There will be one subject involved in this science project, and that would be me. I will be conducting the science project on my own, where I can do it without any unwanted input. I will need to complete three trials for each species of wood that I will be using, in order to come to a reliable conclusion. As my experiment is being conducted, I will be writing data onto a spreadsheet. I plan to document the process by taking pictures during the experiment, then printing them out. I will then bring the pictures and the spreadsheet to school to use at a later time.

Materials List

1. Project Spreadsheet
2. Writing Utensil
3. Camera
4. Scale
5. Metric Conversions Chart
6. Wheel Well
7. Camera
8. Chainsaw
9. Wood (5,000 g/ 11.02 lbs) (Oak, Beech, Maple [Dry])
10. Newspaper
11. Lighter
12. Steel Bucket
13. Shovel
14. Calculator

Detailed Procedure

1. Gather the materials needed to conduct the experiment.
2. Weigh out amount of wood needed.
3. Make the fire in the wheel well with the newspaper, wood, and the lighter.
4. Start timer when the wood has caught.
5. Weigh the bucket empty on the scale.
6. Convert the weight from ounces to grams with the conversions chart and calculator, record results.
7. When the wood is reduced to coals/ash, stop the timer.
8. Shovel ashes into the bucket.
9. Put bucket onto the scale.
10. Convert weight from ounces to grams, record results.
11. Repeat 2-10 two more times for each wood species.
12. When switching to a different species, repeat steps 1-11, three times

---

---

---

---

Background Research

Deciduous Wood (hardwood) loses it leaves during the fall. Deciduous Forests are found mostly in the Northern hemisphere, but some are found in the Southern hemisphere. Deciduous forests are home to tree species such as oak, beech, maple, elm, birch, etc.

Properly seasoned wood produces most heat and least creosote. Wood that is being burned should be seasoned at least one year prior to burning time. Hardwood needs to season 2-3 years depending on species. Split seasoned firewood is white inside, and gray outside. Wet wood will not burn well, and wil have trouble lighting, and staying on fire.
Green Softwood firewood (green meaning unseasoned) is often drier than Green Hardwood firewood. Wood carries water weight, just like humans, and seasoning the wood results in the wood becoming dry. Even well seasoned firewood carries water weight, sometimes up to 25%.
In order to have properly seasoned (dry) firewood, you must do certain things in order to get it that way. You must cut your firewood to a length that is at least 3 in. shorter than the firebox where you will be burning the wood. You should also split your wood before you stack it. You should leave your firewood for at least 6 months.

References

"Firewood Rating." firewoodguy.com. Web. 19 Jan. <http://www.firewoodguy.com/>.
Hurtig, Jennifer. Deciduous Forests. . New York, NY: Weigl Publishers, 2007. Print.
"Master Burner Firewood Drying Tips." Burn Dry Firewood. Web. 19 Jan. <http://burndryfirewood.com>.
"What Kind Of Wood Should I Burn?." Master Sweep Chimney Service. Web. 1 Jan. <http://www.mastersweep.com/>.

---

---

---

---

---

Results

Data Table

Graphs

Photos

---

---

---

---

---

Data Analysis

Conclusion

The purpose of this experiment was to see which species of wood was most efficient to burn in someone’s home. The goal was to measure the mass of the ash left after the burning, as well as how long the sample burned. The results were that oak burned the longest, with an average time of 2:23:18 hours, while maple took the shortest time to burn, with a time of 1:30:27 hours. Maple left the most ash behind with a mass of 2479.64 grams, while beech left the least ash behind, with a mass of 1391.01 grams.

---

---

---

---

---

Discussion

My hypothesis was that oak will burn the longest, followed by beech, then maple. I hypothesize that beech will leave the most ash behind, followed by maple, then oak. My results for the most part, supported my hypothesis. The relationship between the independent and the dependent variables was that if the wood type changed, the amount of ash and the burning time would change. I think that my tests went smoothly. All the wood that I needed was measured and cut up, and all other materials were available to use. If I could improve my experiment, I would use a more accurate scale. This way, I could make sure that the results would be even more accurate than the ones I got. An interesting future study might involve testing different species of maple, such as red maple vs. sugar maple vs. rock maple. I would like to see if there is a difference in how these three variations of maple burn.